The Cards of Shadows
by tcl7189
Summary: A KR sci/fi murder mystery...Will what Kaoru and Ken find out about her past help her or destroy them both? Possible lemon later on. **M for rape, adult situations, language, death and more!** AU..A WIP-rewrites of chaps. possible at new updates.
1. Prologue

Here is an updated version of my story...got some great suggestions from **MissGoalie75** on a few things and decided she was totally right...So hope you all enjoy the small changes and let me know if you can tell...and no...dang it...I no own KR and company...but I can always dream!!

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Prologue

Spring 2015

The sounds of footsteps echoed from down the hall. They seemed to be approaching. A small figure wrapped in a green hospital gown shivered. She was strapped face down to a hospital bed. It quivered slightly as she fought to control her body. The monitoring machine next to the bed started beeping more quickly, matching the beat of her racing heart.

'_No more pain. No more needles, not yet_.' She whimpered in her mind.

The footsteps stopped outside her door. A small sound escaped her clenched lips before she was able to swallow it. She felt the pull of the stitches in her back as the cold air from the hallway hit her exposed skin through the gap in her gown, causing chills to dance along her spine. She could sense two people at the door.

As the door swung open into the small white room, one male scent hit her like a ton of bricks. He was one of the ones who enjoyed causing her pain. She squeezed her hands into fists and jerked on her arm restraints. Nothing. She heard a snicker as two men entered the room. She knew one of them was him. She could feel his dark eyes on her as they burned with anticipation.

"Mommy…" she whimpered softly before she bit her chapped bottom lip to stop herself.

A harsh laugh came from that one man before he moved into her line of sight. Through her own long dark matted hair she could see him. Greasy brown hair partly covered dark eyes that burned into hers from a pale scruffy face.

"She can't save ya now, kitten." He barked harshly. "She's dead."

"No…" she whispered nearly in tears.

"Yes kitten, I would know. I finished her off myself." He gloated.

"Stop it Quinn! You know we aren't supposed to talk to the test subjects." said a stern voice from behind him.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" Quinn scoffed. "We ain't supposed to touch them either. But I sure gave her momma a touch or two before and after she died."

The girl didn't totally understand what he meant, but the thought of him touching her mother in any way made her feel funny inside. Like she was burning deep down, but without the pain. Just a pulsation that started getting stronger.

A low growl was heard in the small room. The heart monitor started sounding out more swiftly. She saw Quinn look at her in surprise.

"Was that her?" asked the unseen man.

"Hell if I know!" he retorted but his voice had a bit of a waiver to it now.

She felt the burn getting stronger, but it didn't hurt her at all. She embraced the fire, as she felt it making her stronger. There was a sound of creaking metal and then a loud splintering crack sound. The monitor was going ballistic now with the warning alarms sounding out also.

"Shit man! Look at the restraints. She just tore through them like they were made of paper!"

"Quinn, we need to leave now!"

"Ah hell man. What's she gonna do?" Quinn smirked slightly as he tried to cover the shudder of his shoulders.

"I'm not waiting around to find out. Shit look at her eyes. They are glowing green! I'm outta here!!" shouted the unseen man.

The sound of running feet didn't distract her from the man standing in front of her. The one that had hurt her mom. Another deeper growl ripped through the air. Then, ominously, the monitor went to the flat line tone.

He never saw it coming. One minute she was crouched on the bed and the next instant she was on top of his prone green garbed body with blood running down both hands. Hands with nails that looked like large cat claws. His throat was gone. Ripped out. A shocked confused look locked on his lifeless face.

Another alarm brought her head up in surprise. On instinct she glanced at the open door. Then she dashed out, running for her life. As she rounded a corner she slammed into a figure just a little bigger than her ten year old form. Red and violet/amber colors flashed in front of her sight before she felt herself falling. Her head hit the ground hard. Black spots danced in front of her eyes as she tried to get up, only to fall down again. The red headed figure moaned softly as he rolled on the ground holding his head. Police sirens hit the young girl's sensitive ears just before she started to go under.

'Daddy! Dad is coming!' was the last thought before the darkness swallowed her.


	2. Chapter 1

WARNING: GRAPHIC THOUGHTS AND LANGUAGE AHEAD!! IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 PLEASE DON'T READ!! DISCLAIMER: NO OWN KR AND COMPANY!!

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Chapter 1

Early summer 2035

_'That first one was just too fuckin' easy!' __the dark figure thought arrogantly to himself. __'And the terror in her eyes was priceless!' _

_He stepped away from the dark window and glided over toward the bed. The room was totally dark, just the way he liked it. He worked better in the dark. As he reclined gracefully on the bed, he ran his tongue over his slightly elongated canines. A sigh of pleasure hissed from his now bloody lips as he sucked the red liquid from the cut on his tongue. A shiver of excitement went through him as his bare skin touched the cool silk sheets._

_ Pictures flashed through his mind's eye. A sneer crossed his shadowed face as he thought about how weak of a practice figure the little cunt turned out to be. Hunting and capturing her had been child's play. No one paid attention anymore. A little tap on the head as she rounded the corner of the alley next to her apartment complex was all it took. Getting her back to his place and into the special room was again just too simple. But all the sorry little dark haired bitch had done was cry and whine the whole time. Keeping her knocked out had been the best way to deal with that. _

_She'd never stood any chance at all of escaping his grasp. The practice dummies were all weak. In the old warehouse she had whimpered and swatted at his gloved hands as he had started wrapping the rope around her neck. It had been just pathetic. Hell, he almost fucked her then just to shut her sorry ass up. The sensation of her soft body pressed tightly against his had been stirring. He felt his cock jump slightly as he remembered the feeling again._

_It had been most amusing to watch the light bleed out of her deep blue eyes as he strangled her. What a unique feel the body had when death left it limp. He could still taste the dust mixed with the jasmine perfume he'd sprayed on her on the back of his tongue. _

_The hardest part of the whole thing hadn't been the hunt or the capture. It had been stringing her up on the cross beam from the ceiling after the fact. Not that that had been a problem either. Just physics and good planning. _

_'Oh well, she was just a warm up, nothing but a stepping stone for the real target. And if the pathetic NSPD had any clues, I'd know about it. Knowing some of those dumb fuckers, I'm sure the cards I left probably threw them for a loop! Stupid brainless sheep!' __He chuckled darkly at the thought of some of New Salem Police Departments finest scrambling around like little mice before a large cat. One in particular came to mind._

_ He glanced toward a dark door that normal eyes would have had a hard time seeing. The room would need cleaning soon. He already had his next practice dummy picked out. _

_'Maybe I'll fuck this one.'_

_He stroked his semi-hard cock at the thought of that. His eyes flashed red as car headlights flashed through a gap in the curtains._

_'No, that will be my prize, my reward for finishing the job. I'll fuck her senseless before I put her out of my misery....' __His cock came to full alert at the promise he made to himself._

_ As he stroked himself off with jasmine scented pictures of _Her_ struggling blood streaked naked body under him in his head, one more thought came to mind. _

_'Don't worry Brother, after she is dead, there will be no more hunters! Then it will be our time!'_

_A pleasure filled groan and panting was heard in the darkness._

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_Early summer 2035_

Silence filled the briefing room of Precinct 5 in New Salem. Sunlight streamed through the half opened blinds covering the windows on the east side of the white washed room. Pictures of the current victim and possible next one were hung on the bulletin board on the west wall. A timeline and other information hung in precise order on the south wall. A few tables and chairs were positioned in the middle of the room with the Captain's desk and podium centered on the north wall.

The Captain met the eyes of all the detectives in the room with a hard grim glance. "This is beyond serious; as I am sure you are _all_ aware. We have been approved to use any and I stress _any_ means necessary to catch this potential new serial killer."

Nods were seen all across the room. Some murmurs caught the Captain's ears about psychic and fortune tellers. He glanced sternly about the room again. His dark green eyes showed an old soul that had seen too much pain in the world as he met everyone's eyes. "All leads_ will_ be followed. Nothing will be left unchecked. A large portion of our manpower will be shifted to this case and an independent profiler will be joining the investigation by the end of the week."

More nods followed the Captain's last statement. The "SCK" or "Shadow Card Killer", as some of the detectives had dubbed him, stood the potential of becoming the next Ted Bundy. He seemed to steal his victims from deep within the shadows. Then he left a card with a dark figure in graphic positions of death. The first victim taken a little less than a month ago had been found in a matching position to the card found in the alleyway next to her apartment complex. She had been strangled first then left hung up by the rope in the old warehouse. The abandoned warehouse was barely three blocks from where she had been abducted. She'd been found five days after she had been reported missing.

Now it seemed that there was another victim and the clock was ticking away fast. Another young woman had been stolen from a quick mart parking lot just six days ago. In her place a card had been left behind. Appearing on it was a body laying in what was probably a pool of blood with a long bladed weapon next to it.

Thirty year old Detective Kaoru Shannon sat at one table taking notes on her PDA. Her short deep black blue hair somewhat ruffled from her fingers as said digits went between rubbing her deep azure eyes to pushing back her slightly long bangs. Her partner, Sano Sagara, sat beside her. He leaned back in his chair, as he listened to the talking. His muscular arms were shown by the tightness of the fabric of his white long sleeved button down that he wore rolled up to the elbows. He shrugged his shoulders to loosen his shoulder holster before he linked his fingers together behind his head. The position gave the impression of carelessness that was a cover for his quick and agile mind.

_'I hate these kinds of murder cases'_ he thought darkly. _'Give me a good old fashion crime of passion any day.'_

The thirty-five year old man's dark brown spiky hair was held back by a dark headband. Fitted black slacks and black dress shoes completed his ensemble. His dark gray sports coat hung over the back of his chair and his usual red tie had been left in the car until he needed it.

Sano's slanted dark coffee colored eyes cut back to watch his partner and best friend as she continued to take notes. He took in the dark shadow like bruises under her slightly slanted blue eyes. The paleness of the normally tanned skin and the slumping of her strong shoulders and back under the light blue short sleeved button down she wore shouted exhaustion to him. Slightly wrinkled charcoal slacks and black walking shoes completed her outfit. Her light gray sports coat was hung up on the coat rack that stood by their desks in the office. A soft deep sigh caught his ear.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked concern softening voice.

"Yup, just a bit tired is all." She whispered back softly.

He could see how this case, on top of all the others, really had hit her hard. Although she was 5'7" herself, she seemed to be slightly smaller with the weight of fatigue lying upon her like a heavy cloak. He saw her reach up to adjust one of the straps of her black shoulder holster until she was comfortable with the fit.

He stretched his own 6'1" muscular frame. The tension seemed to be settling between his shoulders too. This case really had a grip on everyone in the precinct from the lowest traffic cop all the way up to the Captain himself. Sano could see the lines of fatigue around the Captain's eyes from where he sat.

"This situation needs to be contained as quickly as possible for everyone's safety" the Captain continued.

Sano set his chair back down on all four legs. Then he leaned forward as the Captain gave his closing remarks about being cautious and safe with all the different cases the detectives were handling. One could tell that the Captain felt that all the officers were part of his family with the words that he always ended the meets with.

"Be safe and come back to us here. God bless and watch over you all."

Everyone nodded and murmured similar responses back while the room slowly emptied. As the pair walked down the light gray halls of the precinct together Sano studied his partner and best friend again with worried eyes. He knew that these kinds of cases really seemed to take more out of her emotionally than any other kind of case.

He knew that Kaoru had had some bad things happen to her when she was younger. She had really never told him much of anything about it. He did know that there had been a kidnapping that involved her and her mother, then resulted in her mother's death. Sano guessed because of her father being a cop, that someone, with thoughts of revenge, must have had a hand in the whole incident. Before her father had been able to find and rescue her, they must have done something heinous to her. He had seen the scars on her back once when they had gone to the beach during a company picnic. She didn't try to hide them. Her father had started having her trained in every kind of martial art from kendo to karate after that.

Sano shook his head slightly to rid himself of the angry feelings that always came when he thought of someone hurting the people he cared about. Smiling slightly, he raised a dark eyebrow and asked Kaoru, "So, are you heading to the dojo to teach tonight?"

As they reached their unmarked hybrid dark gray police car she looked thoughtful a moment before she replied with a nod, "Yeah, I am. Also Uncle has a new instructor starting tonight for the other advanced class and I want to meet with him before my own class starts."

She gave her partner and friend a slight smile. "Uncle Hiko said that this guy is a former apprentice of his before he stopped teaching the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu. A stupid one if I remember right."

Sano gave a chuckle as the thought of Kaoru's uncle Hiko Soujiro calling someone a stupid apprentice. He could just picture the sneer on Hiko's face as he strutted around with the ever present white cape draped around his wide shoulders while he spouted off _"You baka deshi"._

Entering the passenger side of the car, Sano buckled his seat belt. The familiar smell of the cinnamon and coffee of him swirled around her. It was soothing. He then turned to Kaoru to start the day with the question that had become a ritual with them since their first day as partners over five years ago. "So, Mom, when do I get to drive?" he quipped with a slightly raised dark eyebrow.

"The day you beat me at Kendo." she shot back with a poker face and her own slightly raised dark eyebrow.

Blue and brown eyes met. A slight curl of a lip and a snicker, then a chuckle was heard in the confines of the car.

"Why don't you just say when Hell freezes over, oh Kendo Mistress," he laughed.

"Well, if you would just come and spar with me more often, then you might get better at it," she said as laughter danced in her eyes.

"No thanks. I like my body without bruises from wooden sticks!!" he shot back. "Once was enough humiliation for me!"

As she laughed at her partner, she started the car and headed out of the stations parking lot. Sano reviewed the day's itinerary with Kaoru as they drove through the city.

"So first the old lady at the Quick Mart or the 'psychic' over on Front St.?" he asked after he skimmed down the list of 'witnesses' from the latest abduction that they had received from the Captain.

"Um, how about the easy one with the old lady." she said after a moment of thought. "They are both on the same side of town and we can catch lunch at the Akebeko in between. My treat this time."

"Hey, sounds great to me," was his excited reply as Sano's face lit up at the thought of eating at his favorite restaurant for free.

Kaoru snickered as she shook her head. Free food was always the best way to get Sano to do most anything. And she was sure that he hadn't paid off his tab with Tae, the owner of the Akebeko, yet.

When Kaoru and Sano arrived at the Quick Mart where sixty-six year old Nora Thomas worked, Kaoru shot an experienced eye around the crime scene as the pair exited the squad car. This wasn't the best neighborhood, but then it wasn't the worst either. Kaoru could see where the city neighborhood improvement programs were in the making. A couple of the buildings around had had a face lift and a few other homes nearby had new landscaping done to them. The traffic flow during the day was steady but it slacked off considerably at dusk. Kaoru also noticed an alleyway next to the Quick Mart.

"I wonder if he used that alley to make his escape after the kidnapping…" she pondered mostly to herself.

Sano glanced over to see what Kaoru was looking at as they got closer to the entrance and nodded his head in agreement. "Probably so and good eye there, partner." he said with a slight smirk.

Letting Sano get a little ahead of her, Kaoru swiped at his dark head with a quick back hand and caught him right behind the ear, just hard enough to rattle his teeth. He shook his head to clear it and smirked at her again.

"Damn you're quick!" he chuckled as he rubbed the injured spot gingerly.

"Serves you right, smart ass!" she smirked back at him.

Their information showed Ms. Thomas at work today so they hoped to get some answers about the last abduction that occurred six days before. Ms. Thomas had seen the victim, 23 year old Shawna Smith, who was feared to be the next victim of the 'SCK', being taken by force from the semi dark parking lot late on the night in question.

The pair headed inside the building and saw an older woman behind the counter as she rang up a customer. They waited patiently until she finished, then introduced themselves to her. Kaoru noticed that Ms. Thomas looked like she felt some guilt about the whole incident. Maybe it was the deep sadness in her brown eyes. Or maybe the slight shifting of her shoulders as she took a breath before she squared her shoulders to get through the questions she knew were coming.

"So, Ms. Thomas can you tell us as well as you can remember everything that happened before, during and after the kidnapping of Ms. Smith." Kaoru asked gently.

"Ok. Well, I came into work at my usual time for a Tuesday, at 6 pm. I did all my usual clean up after the day shift. The rush hour crowd can get messy. Anyways, Shawna came in just after dusk that night, on the way home from her classes. She is studying to be a pediatric physical therapist for the physically challenged kids around here." Ms. Thomas said as she sighed a little sadly. Then, blinking her now glossy brown eyes, she continued her story.

"We talked for a bit about her classes as I rang up the milk and soda she wanted to take home and then we said good bye. I didn't notice anyone unusual hanging around inside or outside before it happened. I always try to keep a cautious eye out because of robbery and such."

Sano and Kaoru nodded at that statement. Quick Marts were always a target for robbery because of the open counters to the registers. Some owners in the city were upgraded to the bullet proof enclosures that were becoming the norm in big cities around the country.

"I glanced up and watched her walk to her car. It was parked on the one side of the parking lot where one of the security lights is out. I saw her in the security mirror that we have hanging just outside the building. I blinked once because it seemed darker than normal for just after dusk. Then it seemed that the shadows became even darker around Shawna. Then I saw her jerk and drop her bag with the milk in it. I heard her scream and I started around the counter to go rushing outside." Ms. Thomas said with a slight shudder.

"By the time I got outside, all I found by her car was the milk and soda, and the keys lying on the ground next to it. Oh, and that card that I gave the police that arrived after I called 911 to report the kidnapping. It had a body surrounded by a pool of blood on it." Ms. Thomas sighed deeply and ran a slightly unsteady hand through her short lightly gray hair before she continued her tale.

"There was nothing else there. I saw no blood or anything even showing that she had been there and taken from the parking lot besides the groceries and keys. I hope you find her alive. She is a really sweet kid." Ms. Thomas finished with a frown on her lightly lined face.

"We are working really hard to get her back in one piece, Ms. Thomas." Kaoru said with a firm nod and a smile.

"A lot of detectives are working all the evidence that has been gathered." Sano added with an encouraging smile of his own. "Now what was Shawna wearing that night?" Sano asked efficiently as he added the last information that Ms. Thomas had given them to his own notes.

"Well, let's see. I remember she was wearing a pair of scrubs that she usually wore when she had lab. They were both light blue. I remember thinking that the scrubs were just a bit lighter than her bright blue eyes. She has the neatest blue eyes I have ever seen, besides yours Detective Shannon." Ms. Thomas added as she met Kaoru's eye. She then looked at Kaoru closer with a puzzled look on her face. "In fact, you two could be related. The only difference in your eyes is the slight slanting in yours giving away the Oriental heritage that you carry." Ms. Thomas said with a knowing nod.

"My late husband was Japanese, but only about one fourth, so his eyes were a little less slanted than yours. It was one of the many things that I found really attractive about him when we first met." She said with a slight smile. "And you and Shawna both have the same glossy black hair. The skin tone you both have shows off the Irish mixed in also."

"Guilty as charged, Ms. Thomas." Kaoru said with a smile. "My great-grandparents were full Japanese. My mother is half Japanese while my dad is full out Irish, which explains both my Irish temper and being in law enforcement. You are very good at that kind of thing I see."

"Thank you." Ms. Thomas said with a smile.

Looking at Sano now she added, "Your partner, Det. Sagara, on the other hand is almost fully Japanese, with his dark brown eyes and hair. The only telling thing about his mixed heritage is his height. You are really quite tall for someone with Japanese in their blood." Ms. Thomas said with laughter showing on her tired face.

Kaoru turned and looked up at Sano with a smirk, and then they both laughed with Ms. Thomas at that. Before saying their goodbye, Kaoru gave Ms. Thomas one of her cards with her numbers on it in case she was to remember something later on. The pair then headed back out to their squad car and made their way to the Akebeko.

Sano could see that his partner was in deep thought. She had that slight crease between her eyes and he could just see the wheels turning in her head. A moment later he got the answer about what had been rolling around inside her disciplined mind as her face tightened with anger.

"Shit!" she growled with an aggravated shake of her dark head. "I was hoping to get something new with that interview. Maybe some kind of description or something!"

Feeling the tension building up through her neck and shoulders, Kaoru impatiently rolled her head a bit to alleviate the tightness creeping up her neck. Sano leaned over slightly in the car and placed a soothing hand on Kaoru's tight shoulder. He massaged the knotted muscles he could feel there before he replied.

"Hey kiddo, don't take it so hard. There are still a lot of leads to examine. We are bound to get something new from someone. Just give it a bit of time."

"I just feel like we are running out of time. I don't like finding bodies! I want her back alive!" she grounded out in frustration.

"Me too kiddo, me too!" he said frowning with her. "But ya gotta keep some hope that we _will _get this guy!"

Kaoru nodded at that and then sighed deeply to release some of the tension she felt. Glancing at Sano, she asked, "Ready for lunch yet?"

"When am I not ready for food?" he asked with a laughing smirk.

"Um let me think. That would be….Never!" she shot back with a laugh of her own.

Lunch time at the Akebeko was busy as usual, but Tae, the owner always kept a table for two close to the back open just in case her two favorite detectives arrived to dine there. Kaoru and Sano strolled in and with a nod at the hostess seated themselves in their usual table. The fragrance of the Japanese cuisine filled the air and the clattering of dishes was a soothing background noise. Both of them sat with their backs as close to the wall as possible to face the front door, though only an experienced eye would have noticed that small detail. The couple ordered their regular meal of deep fried pork okonomiyaki with green tea, then sat back to wait for the food to arrive.

Kaoru, out of habit, scoped out the restaurant customers, making sure there were no trouble-makers among the patrons of the diner. That is how Kaoru and Sano had met and made friends with Tae. The first time she and Sano stopped by here to eat was just shortly after they had become partners. As the food was served by their waitress, Kaoru shook her head and smiled at the flash of memory.

~Flashback~

Kaoru walked into the diner still grumbling about being stuck with this total joke of a partner. It had only been two days and so far she had seen nothing but a smirk at anything she had to say at all. It was really starting to piss her off. He kept treating her like she was a weak ignorant woman, when that was the furthest from the truth. She was so frustrated that it took just a second to realize that the pair had walked in on a robbery attempt. Two men in ski masks stood by the hostess, one held a gun on her. A third would be robber stood just a few feet past them. He had the owner of the diner, by her name tag Tae, at knife point, demanding all the money in the place.

Kaoru shot one look at Sano. With a nod, the pair moved in sync one crossing in front of the other to take out the two gunmen with a couple of quick moves. And then Kaoru pulled a knife out of a hidden holster at her hip and threw it at the leader of the group, catching him in the shoulder and causing him to drop the knife in his hand. He stumbled to the ground in pain, clutching his injured shoulder. Then Tae, not to be left out, caught the thief with a swift kick to the temple, knocking him out cold. The three stood there for a moment in the total quiet of the diner, before clapping was heard from all the other customers there.

~End Flashback~

After all the commotion had settled down, the pair introduced themselves to Tae, and a close friendship started from there for the partners. Kaoru saw just how serious Sano could be when the situation called for it. He joked around a bit to keep the peace when necessary. Sano realized that Kaoru hadn't made detective so quickly by just her looks and her connections to the police department through her father. Her beating him to a pulp a few days later, when he tried to beat her at kendo so he could drive their patrol car, had proven to him that she wasn't some weak defenseless woman either. After that they realized that they both had the closest thing to a perfect partner in each other that either of them ever had, or probably ever would again. This kind of partnership was an almost once in a career type of thing. A soul brother and sister connection. That was over five years ago, but she could still remember it all like it was yesterday.

Kaoru shot another look around the diner taking in the early 21st century décor when a flash of deep crimson was seen out of the corner of her eye. It had her turning her head back toward the front door to see a man standing there waiting for the hostess. She was really too far to see the man's eyes but for some reason violet came to mind. She took in the rest of the figure standing there with a professional eye. He was just a tad taller than she was which would put him about 5'10" or so. He seemed to be on the thin side but with the way his dark blue t-shirt fit him so snugly, she could see the muscular physic underneath. He was also wearing a snug fitting pair of faded blue jeans that seemed just old enough to have that soft well washed texture. A slightly worn pair of dark running shoes completed the picture. What really stood out the most was the long gleaming dark red hair pulled back in a low pony tail. The ponytail ended just above his shoulder blades. One just didn't see that kind of red every day.

'_Men shouldn't have hair that is prettier than a woman's, it just isn't right!' _Kaoru thought irately to herself. Sano saw the direction of Kaoru's gaze and glanced toward the front door of the cafe also.

"I wonder if he is gay?" he snickered just loud enough for his partner to hear.

A choked gasp followed this question as Kaoru had just started to take a drink of her soda when she heard her partner's voice. The wheezing sound Kaoru made brought a quick response from the figure standing at the entrance waiting to be seated. She had his full attention now.

'_Definitely violet, wow…' _entered Kaoru's head as her own blue eyes met his. She also saw a spark of interest in the amethyst depths just before the hostess walked up to him and drew his attention away from her still slightly gasping form.

Catching her breath, she turned to Sano and smacked him hard on the shoulder. He winced slightly at the blow before she answered the soft question that had caused her to choke in the first place.

"So totally not gay!" she said with a grimacing croak as her throat objected to the usage.

"Why do you say that Jou-chan?" he asked, using his nickname of _Little Missy_ for her.

Her cheeks reddened slightly as she remembered the flare of interest she had seen before the red headed man had turned away to take his seat on the other side of the diner.

"He just isn't, okay!?! Damn!" she mumbled back, then taking a deep breath for the first time in a few minutes, she finished with, "Are you about ready to see our next witness?"

"Yeah, sure if you are done choking…um I mean eating now, I'm finished." Sano said with just a little smirk on his face. Kaoru glared at him before they both got up and headed toward the cashier with the bill. She shot a quick glance around the diner one last time, but no deep scarlet color caught her eye before they hit the front door.


	3. Chapter 2

Hope you all are enjoying this one...Just a little language in this chapter and everyone's favorite red head...please R and R...thanks...Disclaimer: Me no own...you no sue!!

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Chapter 2

"Stupid damn ignorant ass drivers!!" Sano grumbled under his breath as the partners walked back through the precinct. It was late afternoon and the only person the pair had been able to talk to regarding the 'SCK' was Ms. Thomas. The 'psychic' wasn't holding court this Friday, much to the frustration of both Sano and Kira.

"And you wonder why I won't let you drive?" Kaoru said with a snort. She snickered as Sano just shot her a dirty look and grumbled under his breath about women drivers.

The duo entered the main Homicide department of the precinct. As they headed to their desks the odor of gun oil and paper that permeated the air filled her nose. The desks were pushed together where they could face each other. Kaoru heard another low groan from Sano as he scanned his desk. She watched his face fall at all the paperwork piled up in his 'in box'.

"What's the matter my friend?" she asked with a look of innocence. "Gotta little paperwork mountain going on there?"

That remark earned her another dark look before Sano plopped his butt in his chair with a deep sigh.

"Shit, I'll be here all night!" he groaned pitifully. He leaned forward with his elbows on his desk and rested his face in his hands.

Kaoru snickered as she sat down at her own desk. She couldn't help it. Sano always left the paperwork until the last minute.

"Well, at least you will have company with the night shift guys. You know how much they just love having you around." Kaoru chuckled. Then shooting him a smirking grin she added, "Just try not to make anymore comments about anyone's love life. That will just create more paperwork."

"Another comment from the peanut gallery. Ha ha ha." He snorted crossly as he shot her yet another glare.

Kaoru decided to take a little pity on her partner since she had a bit of extra time. She was, as usual, mostly finished with her part of their paperwork so she took a bit off of the top of his pile. They worked together in comfortable silence until it was time for her to head to her uncle's dojo for the evening classes. She stood up and stretched her arms above her head to get the kinks out of her back.

Sano watched her for a minute, taking in the brief flash of tight stomach muscles as her shirt rode up a little. Covertly he glanced around at some of the guys in the office watching his partner's display. She had absolutely no idea the affect she had on the male population at all. He snorted to himself quietly before meeting the eyes of some of the single ones with a protective glare of his own. It was hard not to chuckle as some of them were quick to act like they were very busy after being caught ogling his friend.

"Well, bro, I am heading out now. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" Kaoru said with a smile and a nod, shaking her arms to loosen them up a bit too.

"Sounds good to me." Sano answered with a smile of his own. "Kick some kiddy's butt for me, okay?"

"If they need it, I won't hesitate." She replied with a slight smirk. _'And a few always do, teenagers.' _she thought to herself as a smile crossed her face.

Kaoru grabbed her black leather coat off of the rack by the exit and headed down to the parking lot. She spied her black 2030 VRSCDX Night Rod® Special Harley sitting in the motorcycle parking and headed toward her baby with a spring in her step that hadn't been there most of the day. She grabbed her helmet off the side holder and put it on. Then starting up the smooth running machine, she headed across town to her uncle's dojo with a feeling of excitement. There was just something about the caress of the wind on her skin as she zipped down the streets that just seemed to blow the weight of the day's madness off of her shoulders. The scent of summer was in the air. The sunset caught her eye as she got closer to the dojo.

_'Something is going to happen tonight. Something is going to change.' _ Kaoru shook her head to rid it of the intense thought. It helped some, though there was still a tickle of it in the back of her mind.

_'Well, whatever I am feeling, I can only hope that the change is for the better.'_ She thought to herself as she pulled up and parked in front of the dojo. Kaoru took off her helmet as she walked in the front door and then headed down to her Uncle's office to store her cycle gear. She could feel her Uncle's _Ki_ coming from inside the office and politely knocked before entering his one sanctuary in the whole school.

Somehow, it was always quiet and peaceful in this special room. The whole office was made to look like a traditional dojo with the wood and paper looking walls. A water fountain made of rock formations sat in one corner with a small wooden table that had an agarwood incense kōdō burning there. Three Japanese water colors hung on the walls and a few artistically arranged planters flanked each side of his one untraditional piece of furniture, his dark toned oak desk. It was covered in a slightly controlled mixture of paperwork and slightly outdated computer components with one small lamp fighting for its place on the corner. Kaoru saw her Uncle Hiko sitting behind said desk working on paperwork, his one bane in life. She couldn't hold back a small snort as she thought about how he and Sano looked a lot alike when facing the dreaded evil mass of dead trees. Hiko sniffed faintly without looking up to see who entered his office, then with a smirk on his darkly handsome face retorted, "And this is hilarious just how, my dear niece?"

Kaoru looked at her uncle with a big grin on her face. He had on his favorite red gi and a pair of dark gray hakamas on with a black obi that tied his gi closed. A long white cape hung across the back of his chair. He was a large and powerful looking man, who, at 6' 3", didn't look his fifty-five years of age. There was just a little silver in the black hair at his temples and some small laugh lines around the corners of his slanted dark brown eyes. He kept his long hair pulled back in a low ponytail. Nothing else was visible that would give away his life experience, although his slightly grating sense of humor had a tendency to rub people who didn't know him the wrong way.

"Well, I couldn't help notice just how similar you and Sano looked when facing a mountain of paperwork with no end in sight." She said with just a slight smirk.

"Bah, that rooster head and I looking similar, not possible at all!" he retorted. "You are just hallucinating, my baka niece!"

"Just keep thinking that Uncle Dearest." She snorted with barely suppressed laughter heard in her voice.

Hiko glanced up at the clock on the wall while Kaoru only just kept her mirth from bubbling out. Gods forbid that she make him feel insulted because it would take forever for him to get over that.

"I see that you are a bit early tonight, any particular reason why?" he asked with just a bit of puzzlement in his voice to show his curiosity.

"Isn't your old apprentice starting with the other advanced class tonight?" She asked.

"Yes, but you know that that class doesn't start until after your class begins." He replied with just a bit of ridicule heard in his deep voice.

"Yes Uncle, I remembered that. But I thought he might show up a little early himself to check out the dojo and all." She replied back with just a bit of mockery to match the tone of the conversation.

"Well, I am expecting him any time now, but he has not yet arrived." He replied with just a curl on his lip to acknowledge their sparring dialog. This was something he always seemed to enjoy doing with Kira. Maybe it was because she never backed down to him, even when she was younger. She always stood her ground and gave as good as she got when it came down to verbal sparring. Kaoru couldn't help but be grateful for all the experience she got from this little custom of theirs. Her quick wit had saved hers and Sano's butts more than one time.

"Thank you oh esteemed Uncle for educating this baka deshi, _Sessha_ (this one) is unworthy of Sensei's time and effort." She spoke, her soft tone and slight bow in complete contrast to the smirk that danced around her lips. The small hint of laughter that came from Hiko showed that he acknowledged her as the winner of the contest, this time.

"Well, I'll just go and warm up before my class starts since he isn't here yet. Maybe I can hang out and watch his class later, to see if there is anything I might want to add to my class later on."

A nod and grunt as her uncle returned his attention to the mountain of paperwork on his desk indicated that she had been dismissed. With another little bow to him, she exited the office with her practice gear. Heading back down the hall, Kaoru stopped at the woman's dressing room door. Old wood, sweat and floor polish floated through the air. She still had this feeling that something was up tonight, but for the life of her, she had absolutely no idea what. _"Guess when it happens I'll find out.' _Kaoruthought to herself as she entered the dressing room.

There was one special combination locker in here just for her. It was where she kept her guns, knives, badge, and holster while she was teaching to keep them out of the wrong hands. She pulled out a white sports-bra, red fitted half tank top and black spandex shorts before she put them on. She did her warm up yoga and sword katas in this outfit before her class arrived. She wore her traditional blue gi and white hakama for class time.

She left the womens dressing room and silently padded bare footed down the hall to her own smaller workout room close to the end of the hall. The shining wood floors of the room were kept clean and smooth. The mirrors on three walls were gleaming also. A stand with practice bokken and other gear stood off to the side in one corner. Grabbing a yoga mat, Kaoru strode to the middle of the room and sat down on it in the lotus position. As she cleared her mind, she started the breathing exercises that helped her reach the meditative state she wanted to achieve before the real work began.

Kaoru started moving slowly from one yoga asana, or position, to another. Her breathing deepened as each asana became more advanced than the one before. At one point she sensed someone in the doorway but she kept her focus on her movements and breathing. When she finished the last pose, she took a couple of deep breathes and then finally glanced at the doorway. No one was there now. Kaoru shrugged her shoulders slightly as she picked up the mat and moved over to the weapons stand to lay it on the floor.

_It must have been one of the students from an earlier class. _

Her sword katas were next, to get warmed up for class. Kaorumoved over to the stand, and since she was alone, left the practice gear hanging up. Instead she just picked up the bokken and paced gracefully back to the center of the room. Taking a few cleansing breaths, she focused her stance and began with the first moves of the katas. As she moved, it was almost as if she were really fighting with someone. Each strike was precise and perfect in form almost like a dance. She was in the middle of the intermediate moves of her katas with her back to the door, when she again felt she was being watched. In the mirror she was facing, a figure in full practice gear stood just inside the doorway.

She was tired of being spied upon, it was just rude. _'I'll see just what this person is made of.' _She snickered to herself.

Changing her movements imperceptibly to position herself a little closer to the entrance, she spun around and started to bring her bokken downward from over her head as if she were going to strike the person on the head. Her eyes widen marginally as her bokken was blocked by a sheathed katana just above the intruder's head held in his right hand. She stepped back and allowed the person to fully enter the room, noting his flowing movements as he glided into the room to face her. The scent of sandalwood floated in with him.

Kaoru could tell it was a man by the way his practice gear fit him, over his blue gi and light gray hakamas. She saw a width in the shoulders and narrowness in the hip that wasn't evident on a woman wearing full practice gear. He was slightly taller that she was, not big and bulky but strong looking. She couldn't see his face or hair with the helmet on either, so she wasn't sure of his identity. The gear was the deep brown with red trim that was common in this dojo. His seemed to be a little more worn but otherwise in good condition. Besides the sheathed katana, he also held a bokken in his other hand.

Kaoru glanced down at the sheathed sword. His helmeted head followed her gaze, then he turned slightly and propped the sword against the wall by the entrance. As both of them moved together, they centered themselves in the middle of the room. After the traditional bow, both settled into a standard fighting stance, giving nothing away with position or body language.

_'Well, let's see whatcha got!' _Kaoru thought as she watched the figure standing in front of her. She decided to start out with the basic moves so she could gage his skill level. His thoughts were shown to be on the same wavelength as he started by executing a flawless overhead stroke with perfectly controlled power behind it. The blow would have knocked the bokken out of Kira's grip if she herself hadn't been good enough to be holding her own weapon correctly. She copied his move effortlessly with just a little more force behind her blow to show him she wasn't some light weight.

Deciding to kick it up a notch, Kaoru then came at him with a double striking head to chest slash that was blocked seamlessly. A slight nod and a subtle but important change in his stance let her know that he was ready to get a little more serious now. She recognized his stance from seeing her uncle execute the same one during her own training. That stance told her who she was sparring with, her uncle's old apprentice.

_'Damn, what was his name again? Oh, yeah. Himura. Ken Himura.' _She thought to herself while a small smirk danced around her mouth. The one that her Uncle Hiko had called his _baka deshi _or stupid apprentice.

She acknowledged the challenge with a change in her own stance. She was sure he would recognize hers as well. Just because her uncle called him an idiot didn't mean he didn't have a way with sword play. Uncle Hiko wouldn't let him teach if he were truly an idiot. Besides, the way he moved was like watching a tiger glide through the tall savanna grass, graceful, powerful, and totally silent.

Kaoru heard her uncle's voice barking the attack in her head from a long time ago: 'Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Ryu Ryu Kan Sen'; a powerful twisting lunge while slashing sideways at your opponent. Her body moved instinctively to block the blow with a move that caught Himura off guard. Her sweeping swing knocked his weapon off tract. Then, moving with lightening speed, she took two steps, one of which was off of his bent knee. She vaulted over his head with a twisting flip while she was suspended in mid air. As she landed behind him with bent knees, she used her momentum to strike him between the shoulder blades with her own weapon. The blow was strong enough to knock him to his knees and the deep sound of cracking of wood was heard in the air.

"Shit! I keep forgetting that this damn wood can't take that move!" Kaoru growled, irritation making her voice sharp.

"Doesn't matter," said a slightly gasping muffled male voice, as Himura staggered to his feet. "I would still be at least unconscious if not for the practice gear. Nice move!"

As he turned to face her, he untied the straps of the helmet that were tucked under his chin and tugged it off. Flashing red and violet filled Kira's vision for a moment, before she blinked to clear it. The sandalwood scent was even stronger now.

_'It's the man from the Akebeko today. Small world.' _

"You must be Himura, right?" She asked as she held out her hand. "I'm Kaoru Shannon."

"You would be right. Ken Himura. It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Shannon." He replied with a wide smile as he clasped her outstretched hand.

A spark of electricity shot through her hand and up her arm as their palms connected. Then a chilly tingle that came back down from her shoulder to her palm. Her gaze was drawn to their joined hands.

The sound his helmet made when it hit the floor wrenched her eyes back up to his face. A mixture of indigo and jade colored orbs slammed into what were now the violet and amber swirled eyes of the man standing in front of her. He looked dazed and a little confused. And something else, but she wasn't sure what.

She didn't jerk or let go of his hand until the goose bumps stopped just a few seconds later. She then let go and bent down to scoop up the helmet off the floor.

"Are you alright?" She asked concern in her voice. Until she could figure out what just happened, she would play innocent.

"Just a little rattled, I think." He said quietly as he lowered his gaze to the helmet in her hand. She handed it back and smiled slightly as he brought his free hand up to rub the back of his neck. The eyes that met her now solely indigo eyes were merely violet with a little amusement seen in the depths.

'_Ah, two can play innocent now, can't they?'_ She smirked inwardly.

"So, does that move have a name or anything?" He asked with a slight quirk of the corner of his mouth.

"Yup. It's called '_Last ditch effort of Kaoru__ Shannon_' to show Uncle Hiko that I could survive the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu training so he would train me back when I was like 16." She said as she kept her face straight with just a little difficulty. A twitch of a dark eyebrow was the only movement allowed.

"And did it work as well on him?" He asked with a slight smirk on his face as if he had already guessed her reply.

"I'm sorry, but that is 'Top Secret Classified' with a 'Punishment of Death' seal on it." She said dead panned. "Although I _do_ remember him grumbling later about how that was just like some moves he'd seen from his last _baka deshi. _And I'm guessing that that was you, right?" she said with laughter evident in her voice.

"Um, I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it could incriminate me." He replied a bit sheepishly before a broad smile appeared on his face again.

Kaoru felt an answering smile slide onto her lips as she met his bright gaze. They both stood there for a moment in silence before a flash of _Ki _swept over them accompanied by a rather loud clearing of someone's throat.

Kaoru recognized the presence of her uncle and by the reaction on Ken's face, he did as well. Not to be outdone by her uncle, she released a little of her own _Ki _as she turned and bowed deeply to him. If she hadn't just glanced out of the corner of her eye at Ken, she would have missed the slight movement of his fingers as they tighten on his helmet just as she had. But his face just then was unreadable.

Ken then turned and bowed to her uncle. Kaoru felt just the smallest pulse of _Ki _come from him, though she chose to act as though she didn't notice it. Maybe he was uncomfortable showing his _warrior spirit_ that way.

"I heard the familiar sound of breaking wood and thought I should see if medical assistance was necessary." Hiko said, somehow making it sound as if this were a common occurrence.

"No, Uncle. We are both among the living. Thank you so much for your concern and for the aforementioned offer of first aid." Kaoru said with just a touch of teasing sarcasm in her voice. She thought she caught a slightly deeper breath taken by Ken at that comment.

_'He has great self control. If Sano were with me, he'd be on the floor rolling already.' _She chuckled silently to herself.

"Well, if no medical assistance is needed, then I better head off the EMT s. They get just a bit cranky about false alarms." Hiko said mildly after returning the duos bows with a slight nod of his own. "Oh, and I'll just deduct the cost of that bokken from your wages. Again." He threw over his shoulder as he left the room.

Kaoru snickered lightly as she turned back to face Ken. She saw a questioning look on his handsome face, but decided to wait until he asked before offering up any information on her uncle's parting comments. Her gaze left his for a moment and caught the clock hanging on the wall behind him.

"Oh shit! My class starts in 10 minutes. I gotta change." She said in a rush as she grabbed the ruined weapon and her towel off the floor. "You're welcome to sit in on part of my class if you want. It's in the number two practice room". She threw the invitation over her shoulder on the way out the door.

Ken started to reply when he caught sight of the lazy swirling scar trailing down from the bottom of Kira's half tank top. Thankfully she was past the point where she could see the look of shock on his face.

_'What the hell!! She's been altered!' _flew through his mind_. 'This has been a day full of wild shit!'_ As Ken pondered on his newest discover of the day, he unconsciously rubbed the scars on his lower back.

_'If I had to guess what she was merged with, I'd have to go with big cat DNA just by the way she moves.' _Turning, he leaned against the wall of the practice room and slid down to sit on the floor with his knees bend. He sighed deeply as he crossed his arms on his knees and rested his forehead on them.

He had not recognized her from the restaurant until the second time he had passed by the doorway on his way back from changing into his gear. Her swinging a bokken had caught his attention long enough for him to stop and admire her form, both as a teacher and as a man. Her scent mixed with jasmine had stirred his senses. He rolled his shoulders slightly as he felt his body finish up healing the fractured ribs from her attack. It had been such a strong attack that only one other person besides himself could have survived it, and that person was Hiko.

_'I guess Hiko and I have a lot of talking to do after class tonight. Damn, just something else I have to include in my investigations.' _Ken shook his head ruefully before he gracefully stood up. He leaned down to grab his equipment off the floor, and then headed through the doorway.

_'Watching her in class is a good way to start my investigation off. I will be able to see what kind of control she has. Not to mention just getting to watch her move.' _He admitted to himself with a chuckle of male appreciation as he walked down the hall. Something about the way she moved called to him in a way he'd never experienced before. And although he'd come in contact with other 'altered females' before, the pulse he'd felt when their hands touched, that was something new. His mind flashed back to seeing Kaoru at the restaurant and the surge of attraction he'd experienced when their eyes met. He then remembered the guy sitting next to her there. _'Who was that man? Boyfriend, husband?' _

He felt his throat tighten as he swallowed a low growl that tried to spring out from deep in his chest. The hilt of his bokken creaked as his knuckles went white with the strain from his fight for control. He felt sweat trickle down his spine as he took several deep breaths.

_'What the fuck was that!?!' _He shook his head to try to clear his mind. He had reached the hallway that led to the number two practice room. Ken could hear Kaoru as she called out the different positions for the students to follow. He slipped in silently, while her back was turned. Then he caught her glance over her shoulder as if she'd sensed his arrival.

_'Huh!' _he mused_, 'she shouldn't be able to sense me at all. Maybe she is a sensitive. I think Hiko has been holding out on me about this!'_

As he watched her walk among the students he caught a flash of blue light from her wrist. It was coming from a police department communicator.

_'How in the hell did I miss that? A NSPD communicator? _He thought disgruntled on his own oversight. _'I am really slipping here! I gotta get focused on this case because _he_ can't succeed with his plans'_

He watched her put her hand up to her ear. He wasn't close enough to make out her side of the conversation but he felt a pang of concern as he watched the light fade from her eyes. He saw the mask of professionalism settle on her face. He recognized that face. A body had been found.


	4. Chapter 3

Well here is Chapter 3 totally finished. Thanks bunches to the few people who are reading and reviewed this little story so far.. YEAH!!! For those of you reading this for the first time...Reviews are the life blood of our muses....R AND R PLEASE!!!!! **WARNING** GRAPHIC THOUGHTS AND SEXUAL SITUATIONS AHEAD....IF UNDER 18 PLEASE STOP HERE!!*** Standard disclaimers apply.

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Chapter 3

_'Well that was just a tad better than the last one. She wasn't a crier, more of a moaner I'd say.' _

The dark masculine figure reclined comfortably on his large bed. Even though the room was cast in dark shadows, he could see himself normally in the mirror above the dresser across the room. The dark silk sheets were cool against his bare skin. The soft breeze from the ceiling fan above him caressed his shadowed shoulder length hair. It was such a contrast to the feel of warm fresh blood. He hummed softly to himself as pictures of his latest task flashed through his mind.

He had used the practice dummy's own apartment for this one. It also happened to be positioned at one of the furthest points in the city from his place. And locked doors and security systems were just one of many of his specialties, so getting inside had been child's play. After the whole stage had been set, from the lighting to the sheets on the bed, he'd placed a plastic sheet on the bed to catch all the blood and such.

_'__Just to help out on the cleanup costs and all'__, _he snickered to himself.

He had made her change into a dark red teddy with matching thong panties after he'd sprayed them with his favorite scent of jasmine. The whole outfit was trimmed with black silk ribbon from the crisscrossed lacing between her breasts to the matching ribbon on the small thong panties. The corset stopped at the bottom of her ribcage, leaving her taunt stomach visible. He'd found them among her things during his search of her apartment. Before he had covered her deep blue eyes with a black blindfold, he had had her put on some black thigh high nylons. He decided against the matching black four inch hooker pumps he'd spotted in the closet as slight overkill. He could take or leave them himself.

He could tell that the practice dummy had expected to be raped by her tense and jumpy reactions to every touch. She had started when he had grabbed her arm. He also had seen the puzzled look that crossed the part of her face still visible under the blindfold as he had led her across the room. At the edge of the bed, he'd had her crawl to the middle of it. The sound of wrinkling plastic had an unusual sound to it.

He had placed a pair of silk gloves over his regular work gloves when he had decided it was time to have his bit of fun. He had barely spoken to the practice dummy before the night of the big event, so the deep gravelly sound of his voice had made her jump slightly before she had complied to his command to kneel on the bed with her knees spread apart. He had then taken one silk gloved fingertip and lightly touched her nose under the dark silky piece of material that covered her face. Ignoring her small jerk, he had slowly ran his silk encased finger down over her quivering pink lips to her chin. Her gasping breath had made the long strands of her dark hair stir softly around her milky white shoulders. From her chin he'd traced a soft line down through the valley between her full breasts encased in the dark red silk before continuing to her navel. He'd enjoyed watching her toned stomach muscles quiver as she fought her body's reactions to his touch.

From there he'd slowly skimmed the waistband of her dark red thong before he traced a finger down the middle of the small piece of silk that covered her feminine slit. The panties had a black ribbon that seemed to be holding the two sides of material together, leaving a peek a boo crisscross of flesh visible between the ribbon. He could already smell her arousal. Her dampness had really soaked through the tiny patch of cloth that covered her drenched pussy. Smirking slightly, he sensed the practice dummy's confusion at her body's reactions to him. She didn't know about his supercharged pheromones or the little stimulate he'd slipped into her water early that night.

He watched all her body's reactions to his teasing strokes. The practice dummy's gasping moans were very arousing to hear. The sweat that had beaded up and made a path between her heaving breasts made a fascinating sight. Her teeth worried pink lips looked like they had been ravished by an impatient lover. And her musky scent had been heady indeed. His work pants had become increasingly uncomfortable as he watched her come closer and closer to her orgasm.

While his left hand had been busy playing with his prey, his right hand had grasped the hilt of his black_ m__oroha zukuri_ or double-edged style dagger. Just as soon as he'd seen the flexing of the practice dummy's tight stomach muscles that signaled the start of her climax, he'd quickly taken the seven inch blade and slid it easily under her last ribs to puncture her diaphragm and right lung. As her gasps of pleasure had turned to pants of pained confusion, he finished his upper thrust straight through her heart. A final flick of his wrist had taken out her other lung as the blood drenched his gloved covered hand and the dark long sleeve of his work shirt.

He had caught her slumped figure before it fell forward. Pulling the black blade from warmth of his practice dummy, he then had leaned the body back until it's back touched the plastic covered bed. The position had pulled the fatal wound open even wider so that muscles and other internal tissue had been left visible. The practice dummy hadn't lasted but a few seconds once the black blade had pierced her heart, but the pained expression still remained on the once smooth face. He had taken one final look as he removed the black blindfold from the slowly cooling corpse. Using the piece of cloth to clean his precious _moroha zukuri_ before placing it back in its sheath, he slowly stood up from the foot of the bed.

A few adjustments to the body and the placing of the little calling card on top of the black ribbon on the night stand had finished up the practice session. Leaving the apartment and then the building had of course been child's play yet again. He had been careful to leave the door of the apartment ajar to leave one last clue for the NSPD to ponder over.

'_Besides if the body was left too long the smell was really hard to remove later on.'_ He hated to think about how that kind of odor messed up his enhanced sense of smell. A quick shower after the burning of his clothes brought his night to an end. He was sure to be receiving a phone call soon because he knew that this case would require his unique talents.

'_If they only knew why some of these cases were so natural to me'_ he smirked arrogantly to himself. If nothing else, this night proved to him that just a few more practices were required. Less than he'd thought it would.

_'I will have you soon, **Hunter**....and then I'll have the pleasure of your company. Whether you find it as pleasurable as I will or not. And soon brother....soon we'll finish it.'_

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After weaving through the sluggish late evening traffic, Kaoru arrived at the Terrace Hills apartment complex. It was just after eight and Kaoru saw that Sano was already there waiting on her. He nodded as their eyes met. Glancing up, she took in the building and surrounding neighborhood. The Terrace Hills complex was one the smaller buildings in this block. It was only seven stories high with the old gray brownstone look to the outside. Most of the other buildings were the tall old style 'skyscraper'. Shiny reflective glass was on all four sides.

Tucking her black helmet under one arm and throwing her black leather jacket over the other shoulder, Kaoru walked over to where her partner was leaning up against his old 2015 black Mustang GT 5.0. The dark paint seemed to shine in the dim streetlight. A subtle contrast to the casual look of the dark t shirt and blue jeans he was wearing. The dark shoulder holster was invisible against the fabric. He reached for her helmet and jacket, and then placed the items in the back seat of his car before he shut the door. With a flick of his thumb he set the car alarm before turning back to face the building in front of them. After a slight nod from Kaoru, the two detectives moved as one toward the entrance. The doorman could be seen in the entrance hall as they drew near.

The atmosphere had surely taken a plunge with the tension in the air. The pair stopped for a moment so that Sano could signal the doorman to open the front door entry for them. Kaoru scanned the growing crowd behind the yellow police line with a practiced eye. Sometimes the suspect liked to return to watch the chaos that was created. No one seemed to stand out to here to her, but the night was still young enough yet.

"Who's the coroner on call tonight?" Kaoru asked the tall dark haired man beside her as they entered the elevator. A hint of cinnamon, coffee and Old Spice surrounded her partner. Sano punched the button for the top floor before he answered.

"Yukishiro..." He sneered just slightly as the name passed his lips. There was no love loss between the two detectives and the lead coroner of the NSPD.

Enishi Yukishiro was a strange man. A frighteningly intelligent man with an ego the size of Alaska and a heart just as cold. How a man could be as attractive as Yukishiro was with his stylishly cut shoulder length black hair, deep green eyes and permanent summer tan on a body that saw the gym religiously was one of the unsolved mysteries of the universe. All he had to do was open his mouth to destroy completely any trace of attractiveness that shown on the outside. His bland disdainful voice matched his icy gaze as the man performed his job in almost a mechanical manner. His frigid treatment of the survivors of some of the homicides was just one of many reasons the partners loathed the unfeeling man. His whole demeanor had been this way the three years the pair had known him, until recently.

"Lovely!" Kaoru muttered darkly as the pair finished up the elevator ride to the seventh floor. The reflective metal of the elevator door framed her tall strong figure clothed in a short sleeved navy t shirt and dark blue jeans. She had hoped that Megumi Takani was on call tonight but no such luck. She at least seemed to have a bit of a heart, no matter the waspish tone her voice always held.

The elevator doors opened to reveal a rather old fashioned floral wallpaper with a mauve tint. The medium taupe Berber carpet running down the hall wasn't in bad shape though, as there was little wear and tear showing. Some tasteful watercolor prints lined the walls at precise intervals up and down the hall. The soft lighting that glowed off the white ceiling made the complex feel homey. The 'Vic's' apartment was on the corner of the south end of the building.

The pair fell in step as Sano finished filling his partner in on all the information he had been given so far. "Well, there are only a few of the eight apartments on this floor that are even rented right now, so of course no one up here saw a thing. But the killer did leave the door open part way as he headed out. It was noticed by one of the neighbors that live down the hall. They called security, who discovered the body and called it in. And evidently the victim's pass card hadn't been used to enter the building since her kidnapping and all residents currently at home reported no unauthorized entries during the day or night yesterday." he said with a sigh. "The automated security system did however show two separate times where the cameras lost power. Two three minute time frames where there was no camera footage. Once at about 9 pm last night before then again at 10:30 pm. So we seem to be dealing with an expert on security system design or a great hacker. "

"Great, another psycho genius!" Kaoru snorted with a sour look as the pair came to the door of the victim's apartment. The door stood slightly ajar with pieces of yellow police line tape hanging from the door facing. Kaoru could hear voices coming from inside. She could sense at least six different people in the apartment. Two were familiar, but the other four were unknown.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to prepare herself for this encounter with not only the crime scene but also with Yukishiro. Lately she'd had a much harder time dealing with the frigid man. Maybe it was the way he'd acted at the last related crime scene; a strange quirking smile that seemed almost odd on his usually cold face. Or the cool contact of his hand on her back before she'd realized he was standing behind her. Having someone sneak up on her was a rare occurrence. The memory caused a small shiver to run up her spine.

"I thought you said that Yukishiro was on call tonight. Takani is in there too." Kaoru said as she glanced over her shoulder at her partner.

"What…are you sure…how did you…wait, never mind. I don't want to know." Sano said with a shake of his head. It weirded him out when she pulled that shit. Even if it _had_ saved his ass more than a few times.

Straightening her shoulders, she pushed the door the rest of the way open and entered the apartment with Sano following close behind. Passing the threshold, Kaoru immediately spotted three of the unknowns as the male uniformed cops entered her line of sight. A small turn of her eyes brought a red headed woman wearing a navy blue CSI jacket into view. A tag with the name Saunders was on right breast pocket of her jacket. The lady was busy dusting for prints in the small living room. She didn't recognize any of them and chalked it up to different precincts. She and Sano returned their nods of greeting as they stopped in the center of the small living area.

Noticing a slight musty smell, Kaoru filed that under the apartment being empty. She noted as she glanced about the cozy space that the 'Vic' had been a pretty neat and colorful person. Maybe it was the furniture, but the whole room just screamed 'student'. Nothing was the same style or color, just a hodge podge of color and design. Somehow it all came together with the pretty pastel paintings hanging on the off white walls and the mix-match curtains on both the living and kitchen windows.

The small kitchen was straight off the end of the living area. There was a small oak dinette set with two chairs up against the right hand wall which was the only wall not covered with cabinets and appliances. A small and mostly cluttered desk was butted up nicely next to it. Some of the books stacked there were anatomy and physical therapy types. Kaoru spotted the corner of an old laptop sticking out from under some files.

"Laptop on desk." She called to her partner and got a nod of acknowledgement back.

An open door was centered in the middle of the left side of the living room. Figuring it was the bedroom, Kaoru headed toward it, while Sano stayed to talk with the uniforms. The first person she saw after entering the room was thankfully Takani. Kaoru watched as the dark haired woman moved around the bed taking pictures of the scene with an air of professionalism that most would be hard pressed to copy. Although she knew for a fact that Megumi Takani was pushing forty two, it certainly didn't show on the woman's perfectly make-upped face. Or in the slender figure that was as always perfectly dressed in the latest conservative fashions. A light dove colored jacket, slacks and matching pumps with a pearl white silk shirt underneath was outfit for today. How she always managed to stay spotless in her profession had to be a supernatural skill. Her trademarked scent of Midnight Poison® drifted in the air.

After a slight cough to draw the older woman's attention, Kaoru met the dark eyed woman's slightly irritated gaze with a tiny smirking smile of her own. A slight quirk from the red lipped woman was like getting a full blown smile from the 'Mona Lisa', but Kaoru had known Megumi for a few years now. And the two women, for two completely opposite personalities, usually got along well. Takani gracefully moved the few steps away from the bed to stand beside Kaoru before they both looked at the body posed on the bed. They both took in the sight of the dead woman that could pass as Kaoru's sister.

"Well, what do you have for me?" Kaoru asked softly as her blue gaze took in the sight of the victim's body. The pose the killer had left her in was sexual in nature. Knees propped up with legs spread open wide, showing off the bloody blood red thong panties. Her arms were above her head crossed at the wrists suggesting light bondage. The pose also pulled the gaping cut in her stomach open in such a way Kaoru could see some of the muscular structures under her skin. What also caught her eye was the plastic tarp under the body.

"He had cut her deep, through the diaphragm and all the way to the heart, judging by the angle of the wound. COD, of course would be exsanguination from the horizontal stab wound directly under the last rib. TOD was somewhere between 9 and 10:30 pm last night according to body temperature. He most assuredly hit at least one if not more vital arteries during the attack. I won't be surprised to see damage to both lungs either." Takani stated with a small arching of a dark eyebrow. "I'll know more once the autopsy is complete. I believe that Yukishiro has something to add." She added glancing over Kaoru's shoulder.

As her back was to the man in question, Kaoru couldn't resist a small eye roll before schooling her face back into professional mode. With a slight turn of her head and shoulders, she gave a very small nod of acknowledgement to him. Cold green and flaming blue battled silently for a moment before Yukishiro took a breath.

"Takani and I agree that although the posing of the body suggested a sexual crime, our preliminary observation is that no full sexual contact, forced or consensual occurred." He stated in his usual bland manner. "We have done scrapping under her nails, but giving the posing and lacking of defensive injuries other than some small bruising on her upper left arm, I am almost certain Trace will come back with nothing conclusive.

"Well, maybe we'll get lucky and something will show up." Kaoru said with a grimace. "If there was no sexual contact why does it smell odd in here?" She cut her eyes from Yukishiro back to Megumi with a questioning look in her eyes. "There is a strong odor of muskiness under the smell of the blood and gore. Also I smell jasmine in here as well."

Megumi shot her colleague a puzzled look that was of course answered with the same Spock like raised eyebrow and small shrug Yukishiro gave to all of Kaoru's questions. She growled slightly under her breath as the man turned slightly and left the room. His deep blue tailored sports jacket and black slacks made little sound as he moved.

"You can't smell the sexual odor in here? The pheromones in here could knock out an elephant." Kaoru said as she waved a hand in front of her face. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled strongly as she tried to clear the musky scent from her sinuses.

"Actually, no I can't. Although, some people are more sensitive than others to pheromones and the like." The dark haired woman said after she'd taken a few deep breaths through her nose. Her dark eyes shot a thoughtful look at Kaoru for a moment. "Can you follow the smell through the apartment, or is it only in here?"

"Well, I did notice a musty odor when I came in, but let me see." Kaoru said before she stepped back through the bedroom door. As she came to the middle of the living room she took a few deep breaths through her nose to see if she could pick up anything. After a moment, Kaoru thought she caught a small trace of the same scent there. Moving to the hall, she repeated the same procedure and followed her nose to the window at the end of the hall on the west side of the building. Noting that both Sano and Megumi had followed her down the hall, she turned and nodded to the other woman. "I can smell the same scent from the bedroom all the way to this window. It's not cologne at all and it seems a little familiar. Sano, we need to check prints here after Saunders is done in the apartment. Inside and out, although I know that might be a bit harder. Thank God for the fire escape out there."

Sano nodded and headed back into the apartment to inform the CSI investigator of their needs. Kaoru and Megumi leaned toward the window. Neither woman saw anything that looked like forced entry, but Kaoru decided to have Saunders check that out also. After checking her watch and pulling on a pair of gloves, Kaoru flicked the window lock and slid the window open easily. It made no sound what so ever and looked to have been lubricated recently. She could also see where the security system tabs on the window were still intact.

_'Sano was right; it was probably a damn security system hacker for the tabs to still be in place. We'll need to check the current lists for hackers and see if anyone is out right now in this area.'_

Kaoru glanced at her watch and noticed that about five minutes had gone by, when the elevator door opened. Exiting the big gray box was a guy that she figured was from security for the building. He was wearing a dark blue uniform with a security patch on the right shoulder. The blond headed man glanced down the hall with a concerned look on his face. Kaoru nodded a greeting to him as he got closer to the two women. She saw his brown eyes take in the badge that she was wearing around her neck before his face relaxed somewhat.

"The alarm for this window just went off, and I came up to check it out." The guard said after he introduced himself as Chad Simmons, head of security for the building. Megumi saw Kaoru take a few deep breaths while he was talking before she shook her head slightly. Megumi assumed that she was checking his scent to see if it matched the odor she'd been following.

"Sorry for the trouble Simmons, we were just checking the windows for sights of forced entry. The CSI investigator will need access to the windows at both ends of the hall also, to check for prints." Kaoru said with a small smile. "Would you say that five minutes is about a normal response time when the alarms are tripped?"

Simmons considered for a moment before he nodded. "For the seventh floor, five to six minutes is an average response time. Of course for the other floors, it is usually faster. We have a key for the elevator that makes it nonstop when we need it."

"Thanks, I'll have my partner stop by and pick up the video disks from last night on his way out. If that's okay with you?" Kaoru asked as they all walked back toward the victim's apartment.

"Works for me. I'll look for him then." Simmons said with a nod before he disappeared back into the elevator. The two women watched the doors close before they headed back into the apartment.

Kaoru was behind Megumi and she couldn't help but notice the way Megumi's head seemed to track toward her partner, who was standing off to the right side of the living room, before snapping back to focus on the bedroom door. Sano's own dark eyes tracked the female coroner as she entered the victim's bedroom before meeting Kaoru's eyes with a totally fake look of innocence. It was hard to keep back a snort of laughter at the way the couple acted like they didn't notice each other. They tried just a little bit too hard for it to be an accident. Kaoru nodded at her partner, just barely keeping a straight face before she too entered the bedroom once again.

Of course, coming face to face with the human ice cube quickly wiped any thoughts of teasing Sano completely out of her mind. '_Damn the man!! Why can't the bastard just be finished already?!?' _

It was all Kaoru could do to keep herself from flinching as his cool hands came in contact with the bare skin of her arms just under her short sleeve t shirt. As it was, she couldn't control the goose bumps that went racing up and down both arms as his grip tightened to keep them both upright. Just a hint of Drakkar® teased her nose.

"Still as clumsy as ever, I see." Yukishiro smirked. The smirk grew into a weird twisted smile at her outraged gasp before she jerked out of his grip and brushed roughly by him. His deep chuckle raised the hairs on the back of her neck before he exited the bedroom. She glanced around the room only to find that Megumi was not witness to the little scene. She turned back toward the front of the apartment where the bathroom was to see her friend looking through the victim's dirty clothes hamper with CSI Saunders. Kaoru inhaled deeply to calm herself when she again got caught up in the strong aroma that permeated the room.

_'Why does that seem so familiar? But then not?' _She shook herself mentally. _'I just need to put it on the back burner. I'll remember it eventually.'_

Kaoru headed toward the bathroom. Megumi and Saunders were having a quiet conversation that paused as she approached them. Megumi gave Kaoru the look that indicated the two women had found something interesting in the laundry.

"We found not only the scrubs and undergarments that the victim was reported wearing the night of her abduction, but also a whole set of sheets and pillow cases. It's like he changed them all before the murder." Megumi said shaking her head in puzzlement.

"Setting the stage, Megumi. Some serial killers must perform on a stage to get the full effect. It's all part of the power trip for them." Kaoru said with a dark look in her eye. A dull ache was setting up right behind her exhausted eyes and the tightness in her shoulders made itself known with a pulsing throb deep in the muscles.

"We also found a pair of black silk gloves on top of the pile. There appears to be some kind of residue on the fingertips of one of them. I will send them to Trace when we get back to the office." Saunders said as she bags up the items in question.

"Sounds good. Let me know when you get the results." Kaoru said tiredly as she headed back into the living room. A quick sweep of the room was all it took to make sure the human ice cube was gone. In fact the three uniforms were nowhere to be seen either. Sano stood in the middle of the living room with his PDA in hand. His dark hair covered his eyes as a quick double beep was heard. With a flick of his wrist the electronic device was placed in the back pocket of his jeans.

Saunders and Megumi came out of the bedroom after Kaoru. Sano gave the two women a nod as they left the apartment before turning back to his partner. She looked beat. The shadows under her eyes were even more pronounced. The blue orbs had a dull finish that he knew well. He moved over to her and slid an arm around her shoulders to give her a quick side hug. She sighed deeply and took the offered shoulder as a prop for her aching head.

"All that is left to do is lock up. As soon as Yukishiro gets back in here with the gurney, they will remove the body. So why don't you go on home and get some rest. I'll finish up here." Sano said with another squeeze. He felt more that saw the small nod of her dark head. With another deep breath, Kaoru shifted slightly away from him and rolling her neck a bit to relieve some of the tightness.

"Ok bro. Thanks." She murmured quietly. "I'll do the paperwork for us both in the morning to make it up to ya. Just don't forget to pick up the video from security on your way out."

Sano nodded as he watched his partner leave the apartment. He made a mental note to call her later to make sure she made it home safely.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ken's mind was totally buzzing. He was completely astounded by all the information that Hiko had given him earlier. The buzzing got louder the harder he tried to wrap his brain around it all. With a shake of his head to clear the fog, Ken focused on moving his green jeep through the evening traffic. It wasn't working as the whole night kept flashing through his mind.

XxXxX

_Hiko was sitting at his desk when he entered his old teacher's office. The dark headed man nodded to his onetime apprentice to take a seat after he had closed the door. Ken's jeans and white t shirt made him look way younger than his thirty five years. Especially with his dark red hair flowing loosely down his back. He noticed a look of seriousness had settled on his mentor's face. _

_"I trust that your first meeting with _Kaoru_ went well?" Hiko asked after Ken had seated himself in the leather chair in front of his desk._

_"Yes. Although I didn't realize who she was until the middle of the sparring match. She was quite amazing with that attack, by the way. Was it as successful on you as it was on me?" He'd asked with just a quirk of his mouth._

_"That is NOT the topic of discussion at this moment." Hiko answered deadpanned. "Though her training was not unlike yours. I can see where the alterations made similar changes to both of your physiologies." A smirk appeared before he added, "She was a much faster study, I must add."_

_That had brought a small frown to his face for having once again been a source of amusement to his old teacher. Old habits died hard it seemed. _

_Hiko continued after a small chuckle at the reaction of his old student. "She does have a few major differences in abilities that none of the other 'altered ones' ever showed, even you. One is that she can sense any _Ki _from anyone. Not even I can shield myself totally from her."_

_That got a look of astonishment from Ken. Hiko was the best at controlling his _Ki _that he had ever known. There was no one better. _

A horn honking brought Ken out of his memories for a moment. He looked up to realize that the light was green and he was hard pressed to remember any of the last five miles of driving. Pressing on the gas, he again got lost in the recollections of the day.

_"She also seems to have a heightened sense of smell that rivals yours. And last but not least, she seems to have an instinctive control of her powers." Hiko had continued after pausing to collect his thoughts. _

_"Instinctive? But you trained her yourself right? I don't understand." He'd had shook his head in confusion._

_"In martial arts, yes. But it seems that during the raid of the laboratory where both you and she were being kept at there was an accident where she struck her head. _Kaoru_ doesn't remember much of anything of her time there, besides that was where her mother was killed. Any attempt at remembrance seems to cause her great pain." Hiko frowned in deep thought before he asked, "Do you remember being rescued at all?"_

_He thought about the question for a bit before answering carefully. "Just a bit. After the alarms starting going off, my door had clicked open along with all the other doors in that hallway. I had just been brought back from the testing room so my restraints weren't on yet." A frown had crossed his face at the flash of agony at that memory. "I was usually in too much pain after being tested to require them immediately afterward. I don't remember running out of the room, just the pain that the movement caused. I know that I hit something in the hallway where you found me. It happened just after I'd rounded a corner." He had struggled hard to remember more fully. "Maybe a flash of color, like a blue/green. And a soft body, smaller than me. Dark hair, but that's about all. Does that help at all?" He concluded with a small frown as he had pushed back the pain._

_Hiko had sighed softly before he'd answered him. "Well, her father and I found you both together in that hallway. So, she was the one that you collided with. From all the information that was collected from the lab's computers, besides the gene/nanotech therapy that they were conducting on all the children there, they were also experimenting with __psychic abilities as well. _Kaoru_ was being kept in that hallway. From the records, she showed some strong __talent in finding and recognizing all life force around her. A Hunter was what she was labeled in her chart."_

_He'd had just continued to stare at his old teacher for a few moments before he'd been able to find his voice. "A Hunter? Like in tracking? Wasn't the damn animal DNA enough to trigger the tracking instincts?" His voice had risen in his frustration._

_"In her case, the psychic experiments finished what the gene/nanotech therapy had started. She can sense anyone's level of physical power and react accordingly." Hiko had stated in a tired voice before stopping to watch the water flow down the fountain in the corner of the office. _

The streetlights flashed by as Ken remembered being a little perplexed over that statement.

_"What does that mean?" he asked._

_Hiko brought his dark gaze back to the confused violet/amber gaze of his student and friend. "It means that no one really knows just how powerful she is. She can fight anyone from the lowest rank student here to me and win with minimal damage to whoever she is sparring with. She has that instinct. You would be hard pressed to beat her, even altered as you are." Hiko had exhaled deeply as the guilt that was always hidden away slipped through his mask. "I, as you know, am not without my own alternations. That is how the whole operation was finally brought down. My sacrifice. But not enough to save my sister's child from harm or my sister from death."_

_Hiko's dark gaze had locked on his with determination. "There was other information on the lab's computers that also suggested that some of the psychic experiments didn't go as well as _Kaoru_'s did. A few unstable ones were of course made more so from the testing. And we as you know weren't able to find all the children that had that kind of procedure done. Some were kept at different facilities, and after the first raid they were moved around, lost in the shuffle, or flat out killed to destroy evidence." _

_A pause came before Hiko had continued with a voice filled with something akin to pride, "That is where all your training has come into play. You, Ken, have done an admirable job at tracking down most of the children and young adults that had been altered as you have been over the last ten years. The Bureau thanks you for all your hard work. Now we need you to join forces with _Kaoru_ to hunt down the last of the mentally altered ones. There are at least two that our main concern. We only have their code names from the files." _

_Hiko had stopped here to reach for some files on the corner of his desk and as he flipped the first one open he continued, "One was known as Kurogasa and the other as TenKen. What information we have on Kurogasa shows that he was about five years older than you and after the initial raids just disappeared. Then later he popped up as an assassin for hire. Price seemed to be of no consequence. It was for the kill. He seems to favor multiple hits to the singles but not exclusively. The TenKen also fell under the radar for a while. He is about _Kaoru_'s age, and has had extensive weapons training like the both of you. He seems to be in the employment of one Shishio Makoto, head of the Juppongatana terrorist group. After that we don't have much more on him." Hiko had finished with a tired sigh. "We do know that Kurogasa has been sighted here in New Salem, but other than that no new information is available. _

_"Wait." Ken's firm voice showed little of the emotions that he had been feeling. "One, how am I suppose to team up with her when she doesn't remember anything about being altered. Two, she'd NSPD, so how in the hell do I get around that. You know that some of my methods aren't kosher with the law." He'd said frowning hard. "And three, Kurogasa sounds like a black letter hit to me, I can't have her in the way of that. I don't like some of these kinds of investigations but I do realize the need on the occasion. Some of altered ones just can't be reasoned with", he'd finished with an exhausted breath as he tried to keep the frustration out of his voice. _

_Hiko shook his head before he gave the statement Ken already heard coming. "You will just have to find a way to work through it." He stopped to watch Ken run his fingers roughly through the loose red hair dragging the long bangs back from his eyes. "I know this may create more problems than it solves later on, but my niece needs to remember what happened that night. Maybe someone not as close to her can help her break through the walls in her mind about that night." _

_A flash of something on the older man's face made Ken wonder but his thoughts were interrupted as Hiko continued. "Although, watching you deal with that rooster headed baka of a partner she has will no doubt be entertaining." A small smirk graced Hiko's lips. "And who's to say, you might gain two partners instead of just one."_

_XxXxX  
_

Ken took a deep breath as he came back to himself again. Looking around, he realized that he wasn't at his apartment complex. His jeep sat in a parking spot not too far from the front entrance of a ranch style duplex apartment building. There were three other duplexes forming a half circle around the parking lot. _'Where the hell am I?'_

The sound of a gas powered motorcycle brought his head around as he watched a sweet black Harley pull into the parking lot and park just a couple spots down from him. The rider shut off the rumbling motor before dismounting slowly, pulling on the bottom of the black leather jacket to adjust it. His thoughts of the bike were brought to a screeching halt as the figure pulled off the dark helmet and familiar tousled black hair was seen.

_Kaoru__. _

A low growl of welcome escaped his lips, but thankfully it went unheard. He watched her movements closely, his amethyst eyes narrowed in concern. Something was just a bit off. Slumped shoulders under the black leather jacket and lowered head screamed fatigue as did the dangling helmet hanging on her fingertips. Her small stumble on the curb is what made him come out of the jeep in a flash. Trusting the dark to mask his quicker than human movements, he silently came up to Kaoru's side and he caught her stumbling figure just before she hit the ground. A small groan of pain escaped her lips as he hugged her lithe figure to his side. Jasmine drifted up to tease his nose. Her dark head rolled slightly to rest on his shoulder as her dull blue eyes lit on his face before drifting up slowly to meet his concerned gaze.

"Migraine.", she mumbled in a low voice.

"Oh, I see." he whispered softly wincing in sympathy as he easily lifted her up and cradled her to his chest. "Which one am I heading for?"

"Uhm... building two apartment A", he heard her whisper softly. She sighed quietly taking in the sandalwood fragrance of him before she pressed her face back into his shoulder to save her sensitive eyes from the passing headlights. He made his way toward the building quickly, marveling at how she was still aware enough to keep a hold of the helmet in her hand with her arm wrapped around his neck. Especially when he could tell she was mostly out of it by the time he reached her door. At his quiet urging, her left hand came up to hit the security pad when he was close enough. Seven beeps later a click was heard and the door shifted enough for him to push it the rest of the way open. He pushed it shut with his foot and caught a long beep that signaled that the alarm was again set. Two small lights, one from an end table lamp and another from the kitchen area gave out sufficient illumination for him to navigate through her living room to the darkened hallway. Taking in the lay out of the apartment, he guessed correctly as he found the master bedroom at the end of the hall on the right.

As he passed the chair that resided just inside the room, he heard a small thump that signaled her dropping her helmet onto the padded surface. Smiling to himself at that, he gently deposited his light burden on the neatly made queen size bed. Her feeble attempt at kicking off her running shoes brought him to the foot of her bed as he made short work of the ties and placed the pair of shoes just under the lip of the bed.

The street light from across the street put off just enough light for him to move safely around the room. A door in the wall at the end of her bed he guessed was the bathroom. After closing the door, he flicked on the light and pulled open the medicine cabinet behind the mirrored vanity hanging on the wall over the sink. One bottle of prescription medication set alone surrounded by toothpaste, moisturizer, and other assorted female products. A quick glance at the label identified it as a commonly prescribed pain killer.

_'The instructions say take two every six hours as needed for pain.' _

A plastic glass sat next to the toothbrush holder. Filling it mid way with water, he took the medicine bottle and glass in one hand and clicked off the light before opening the door. As he moved across the room, Kaoru moaned softly in pain that was muted by the arm flung across her face. Ken sat down softly next to her, then leaning over, carefully slid his arm under her shoulders to raise her up right.

"Why are you doing this?" he heard the soft whisper, then the deep sigh. "Why are you helping me?" He carefully removed her leather jacket and tossed it on the bench at the foot of her bed. Her gun and hostler was placed on the night stand next to the lamp.

"We share a common thread. We have both survived Sensei Hiko's training. I figure that makes us comrades of a sort for one." He answered softly in consideration to her pounding head. "Hopefully, friends too." He smiled slightly before he added, "Besides, I hate to see a beautiful woman in pain."

A small snort came from twitching lips; Ken took that for a chuckle. After she downed the pills, he settled her back on the pillows. Pulling the deep blue throw over her from the foot of the bed, he gently tucked it around her. As he moved passed the bed on the way out, Kaoru reached out to grab his hand, stopping his movement. "Thanks. Really…" her voice trailed off slowly as the medication started working.

"Not a problem at all. Now, get some rest. I'll let myself out." He said as he lightly squeezed her hand in return.

"Can't…sorry…alarm set now. Sorry really….blanket in closet…pillow…couch…" she mumbled but he got the jest of it. She was NSPD after all. He'd just have to wait until morning when she could let him out. He stood beside the bed for a moment, taking in her tired features, before he headed out the door to find the blankets she spoke of. A couple of moments later, blanket and pillow in hand, he headed for the living room.

_'Well, I've certainly slept in worst places.'_ He thought wryly as he removed his t shirt and slipped off his shoes. Pulling the blanket up over his waist, he settled down on the long couch and let himself slide into the darkness of sleep. _'Maybe the dreams won't follow me tonight….'_


	5. Another quick AN

**Just a quick A/N to let everyone know that part 3 of Chapter 3 has been added to it...so just back up one page and enjoy the second part ....Thanks for all who have R and R so far....**


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